Thursday, March 6, 2008

The artful dodger: Adams reveals just what she wants.

Not even three years ago, a relatively unknown Amy Adams turned heads—and scored a Best Supporting Actress nom—with her heart-wide-open Ashley in the indie Junebug. Last fall, the 33-year-old filled the nation’s multiplexes in Disney’s Enchanted; she sang one of the tunes at last week’s Oscars.

In her latest, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, starring opposite Frances McDormand, Adams plays Delysia, an irrepressibly perky American actor in pre-WWII London. Adams’s star will keep rising: She chatted with us between filming two projects in which she’ll share the screen with Meryl Streep: Doubt and Julie & Julia.

Of your Junebug character, you’ve said she “knows more than she lets on,” which also sums up your latest role. Does that resonate with you?Um, yes. I’ve had that comment several times, that I’m perceived as this nice person and do I have another side. Of course I do. We all have a persona we put on to help us get through the day.

You’re going to get asked this again with your next role, right? The innocent young nun in Doubt.People will be like, “When are you gonna stop being innocent?” Yeah, I imagine.

You do have this knack for playing dumb smart.[Laughs] Thank you, I think.

I mean, you give layers to characters who could seem all surface.I really do a lot of investigation into who this person is. I try to answer as many questions as I can and then behavior happens on top of facts.

You’ve said you’re glad you didn’t get famous earlier on because “your twenties are brutal, a hard time.” What made yours so rough?We all have a period where we struggle for self-discovery, and we take some missteps along the way. In my early twenties, I moved to Los Angeles and it was just a long adjustment period.

Um, could you be more specific?No. [Laughs] I think it’s just very much like Delysia, trying on different identities, trying to fit in, trying to find your friends. Los Angeles was not an easy place for me to meet people.

What identities did you try on?Girl next door, the vixen—but that was just work-wise. In my own life, I made friends that were—they weren’t my peeps.

Hollywood types?Not even Hollywood types, just dating the wrong guys.

Since you grew up Mormon, what’d you make of all the recent media hype around Mormonism?Well, we stopped practicing at some point, but before that it was just somewhere you went on Sunday. I didn’t think of it as different. But there are values and teachings I take with me: don’t lie, observe the Golden Rule. I can’t even yell at a New York taxi driver without feeling like I have to apologize for losing my temper.

You’re a natural blond, but since Junebug you’ve been a redhead. Were you trying to get away from the blue-eyed blond identity?Maybe. I did notice a shift in perception. Here I am, I’m super-energetic, a positive person with blond hair, blue eyes—it’s very easy to make assumptions about my character. And the minute you put red hair on it, it’s suddenly, like, instead of energetic, she’s a firecracker; instead of ditzy, she’s quirky.

Did you find that, like with your characters, people underestimated your intelligence?There was a time when I definitely thought that, but I had something to do with that. I didn’t let people in.

Here are three words you’ve used to describe yourself.Oh, no.

Chipper. Goofy. Cartoonish.[Laughs] Well, those aren’t the only three words.

In the articles I read—Oh no, I repetitively said that? It wasn’t just, like, put on AP and then they put it in a bunch of stuff?

It just seemed to be a theme. So when are you at your least chipper?Oh, gosh, when am I at my least chipper?… I don’t necessarily get the blues, but I do get angry.

At…?Things. I don’t like injustices.

Such as…?I don’t want to go into examples because I don’t want to get involved. I know I’m being vague, but I’m intentionally being vague.

I noticed that.I just—we live in a society that tends to dehumanize people, and it drives me crazy. How would you want to be treated in that situation? Maybe that goes back to my Mormon upbringing.

2 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I watched Enchanted and she did way awesome in it. I don't know if this is really Amy Adams blog or if she's going to read this but I just wanted to ask her a question if she does read this. I heard you were raised a latter day saint and I was just wondering why you don't believe in that anymore? I know everyone has there own reasons. I believe you are a great person from what I've heard of you and it says a lot about you for not working at hooters after they tried making you wear those clothes. It shows you are modest and respect yourself. But thats just my opinion. Sorry I kinda went off the question but I don't want you to think I'm judging or whatever for not being a mormon. Just wanted to know why you changed your mind.-SW

Amy Adams has some fantastic roles under her belt.We provide here the list of Amy Adams upcoming movie list She's played Lois Lane in the recent Superman movies, a real-life Disney Princess in Enchanted, and aviation legend Amelia Earhart in Night at the Museum 2. We also loved her in The Fighter — heck, she's even worked with the Muppets! Arguably one of Hollywood's most underrated actresses, with a wealth of experience in many genres of movies, she's still not managed to get herself an Oscar. Well, with her new movies and TV project, I can only hope Adams gets the recognition she deserves.So to help keep you on top of this talented lady‘s anticipated new movie releases, we've made a handy list of the next Amy Adams films and tv shows. Let's check them out! See More

Who is Amy Adams?

Amy Adams is an American actress who started working professionally in dinner theatre before moving to LA and pursuing an acting career. She is best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in Junebug in 2005 and her Golden Globe-nominated role as Giselle in Disney's Enchanted.